The University of California, Riverside (UCR) is home to some of the best athletes in Division 1. Joshua Mendoza and Collette Lowengrub are among these athletes.
Off the line in their final race, both Mendoza and Lowengrub entered with remarkable academic achievements and outstanding collegiate athletic careers that exemplify what it means to be a great student athlete on and off of the track. Now, in the final push, they’re looking past the finish line.
“It feels great knowing the hard work and dedication of always shooting for high goals and facing some failure and challenges, feels good knowing I have been through these challenges,” said Mendoza.
Mendoza, a graduate student in the School of Public Policy with an undergraduate degree in political science, is a member of the Big West Commissioner’s honor roll and holds the third fastest time in UCR history at the 8k Bill Dellinger Invitational. Most recently, Mendoza recorded a fifth place finish at the Big West Championship as well as leading the team to their best finish at the NCAA Regionals in a decade.
Looking to the future, Mendoza aspires to become a professor of political science after his time at UCR.
Senior Collette Lowengrub, a Big West All-academic scholar, won the inaugural Hueston M. and Margaret W. Harper Award. The award is given to a UCR Intercollegiate athlete with outstanding academic and athletic achievements, and serves as a testament to her dedication. On the track, she finished top 10 at the Big West Championship and led the women’s team to a 20th place finish at the NCAA West Regional.
“There is so much hard work and dedication that goes into it, the past 4 years all my time and dedication has gone to the sport,” shared Lowengrub. “To come in 10th at my last conference is really special to me. Especially at our home course.”
Outside of the collegiate sphere, Lowengrub has achieved national and international recognition. Before the Olympics, she was invited to train in the Triathlon with a select number of other collegiate athletes at Team USA’s home base in Colorado. She currently is continuing that training to one day compete for Team USA.
“It was so eye opening to see the dedication and hard work that goes into the sport,” noted Lowengrub. “It is all technical, and learning all the techniques was something that was super interesting to me.”
Mendoza and Lowengrub, leaders on their respective teams, will both compete in the upcoming indoor track season in the winter and outdoor track in the Spring.
It is an exciting time to be a Highlander, and their legacies continue to inspire others and shape the upcoming aspirations of UCR cross country and track and field.
